The big screen release on March 21, 2014, of the first book in the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth tells the tale of teen heroine Tris, played by Shailene Woodley, making her way in a dystopian world. Both the book and movie provide excellent areas of research to discuss cinema and feminism. The topic of women in film, seems to be hot, once again, and many are asking if this latest teen novel-turned-film will finally turn the tide on how female-centered movies are perceived.
A movie still from Veronica Roth’s Divergent film. (Credit: Shelley Johannes)
Explaining gender constraints
One thing that the Divergent trilogy does well, according to blogger Teresa Johnson is offer a “compelling metaphor for young girls’ journey into feminism.” Her April 2, 2014, blog post for The Horn “A Study in Pink: Divergent is Basically How Feminism Works” explores that idea in more depth.
Despite many advances in the treatment of women in our society, gender identities and roles still exist, which mirrors the idea of factions in the books by Veronica Roth. Shailene Woodley, as Tris, must figure out her place amidst these factions, when she doesn’t clearly fit into one group. Why Divergent can be described as a feminist movie is because it recognizes that the factions shape how people act, just like gender roles do in the real world.
Girls take charge in Divergent
Even before the release of the first volume of the Divergent trilogy in theaters, the book was being discussed in regards to the meaning behind its heroine and the catastrophic future she inhabits. The March 2012 issue of The American Prospect featured an article “Hell’s Belles: Tracking the Teen Heroines of the New Dystopian Thrillers” by Abby McGanney Nolan that compared the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth, as well as The Hunger Games series (by Suzanne Collins), Blood Red Road (by Moira Young) and Legend (by Marie Lu).
All of the novels center on a teenage protagonist living in a ruined world, who ultimately must fight for herself, her family and others. But as McGanney Nolan notes, these heroines are different, not like the previous stereotypical incarnations of damsels in distress. Instead, they offer a new take because “they’re not waiting for someone else to save them or the world.”
Although, Tris does find a romantic foil in Four, it is worth noting that it is together, as a couple, that they “become rebels against a despoiled state,” writes McGanney Nolan. This united effort helps align the Divergent trilogy into the category of a feminist movie.
Cashing in on women in film
But does a feminist movie make money? After all, Hollywood isn’t interested in women in film or anything else in film if it doesn’t make money. Tim Robey wrote on April 3, 2014, in The Telegraph post, “Let the women do the talking in the cinema” addressing the idea that not only can movies with female characters fill seats, but also that Hollywood has long been aware of that fact.
Robey cited the infamous Bechdel test conceived by the cartoonist Alison Bechdel. It requires only that two women be on the screen at the same time and be talking about something other than a man. Although that doesn’t seem to be a task, sadly, all too many films fail that test.
However, new studies from several independent polling companies have found that “Films that pass Bechdel – including recent hits such as Frozen, Despicable Me 2, Divergent and The Hunger Games – yield a higher median gross return on their budgets than those that don’t.” Additionally, Robey wrote, “Adjusted for inflation, three of the five highest-grossing films of all time – Gone with the Wind, Titanic and The Sound of Music – have female protagonists, and all three of them pass Bechdel.”
Want to learn more about women in film? Check out Questia—particularly the section on feminist film criticism.
Is the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth a good metaphor for the gender roles and expectations young girls face in today’s world? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.